Do Your Best for You, Not Your Boss

K. Clausen

2 months ago

As the Christmas season comes to an end and we put our “Elf on a Shelf” away in our house, I found myself wondering, “How am I going to convince my daughter to be good?” As annoying as that elf was and remembering to move it every night was nearly impossible, I loved having him there to say “Harper, eat your dinner or Teddy is going to tell Santa” or “Teddy sees you fighting with your little brother, you better stop.” As soon as I reminded her that her elf was watching, she listened and was on her best behavior. I wondered, “Why doesn’t she do this every day?” and then often felt bad for using a make-believe elf to get my child to listen.

As silly as it seems, I’ve seen similar behaviors in the workplace. No, we don’t have an elf who’s watching us, but we do have managers and company leaders that we report to. I’ve seen people’s behaviors change when their boss is around or when they know their manager will be following up with them on something. When a manager walks by, suddenly they’re on the phone making those calls they should have been making all along. While I think that is normal to an extent, because we all want to impress our boss, I don’t think it has to be like that. If you are someone who changes the way you work based on who is around you, I want to challenge you with this question: Why do you only work at your best when someone is watching? Why not work at your best potential every day and see what you can accomplish?

After all, we’re not working so our boss can make money. We’re working so we can make money and we can provide for our families, pay our bills, go on vacations, or whatever else is important to you. So don’t work at your best for someone else, do it for you. Think of all of the reasons why you work. Make a list to remind yourself why you do what you do every single day. These are the reasons why you should come into work each day and perform at your very best, not because you think your boss is watching you. If you make a commitment to yourself in 2018 to come into work each day and work at your best, I guarantee you will see results. It could come in the form of praise, a bonus, a promotion, or even just leaving work feeling better about your day and what you accomplished.

I hope you make 2018 a great year for you and push yourself to do your best each day. And if anyone has advice on getting a three year old to listen, now that her elf is gone, please comment below! 😉

Kiley Clausen
Kiley grew up in the small town of Oakland, Iowa. She attended college at the University of Iowa where she graduated in May 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. Kiley joined Celebrity Staff in June 2011. Since then, she has held various positions including staffing assistant, recruiter, and operations assistant. She was promoted to operations manager in 2014, where she currently assists the Omaha, Des Moines, Lincoln, and Kansas City branches and manages a team of five employees. She enjoys being part of the staffing industry and finds that no two days are ever the same. Kiley recently moved to Ankeny, IA, where she now works remotely out of the Des Moines office and enjoys spending time with her husband Justin, and two kids, Harper & Hayden.